sunsets are proof that endings can be beautiful too
by astrangetypeofchemistry
Summary: In which Marinette spills her hot chocolate all over herself when her new superheroine partner visits her on her balcony.


The meaning of night changes within a span of hours.

It starts off with a quiet, Friday evening after a busy, draining week. Marinette sits on her balcony with a mug of hot chocolate warming her fingers, a blanket draped over her shoulders. Tikki is hidden where the blanket is the warmest.

She's exhausted from having to stop one of the newer heroes, Queen B as she calls herself, from impulsively revealing her civilian name. You'd think it'd be obvious that a secret identity is meant to be secret.

Within her first week as a superheroine, Queen B has already aggravated every akum they've come in touch with. Marinette would be close to anger, if it weren't for the remorseful look in her eyes as she realized she messed up yet _another_ attack.

Sue Marinette for being sympathetic, but she's been in that position before. Queen B's own realization at her failures continuously reminds her of the day Marinette had almost given up on being a superheroine.

Plus, it didn't hurt that Queen B's antics were endearing more often than not, or that when she thought no one was looking, her lips would turn down into an adorable pout.

It's while she's deep in her reflections over one of her new teammates when she finds herself suddenly staring at the real thing, jumping in her seat enough to spill her thankfully cooled hot chocolate all over her hand.

"Shit," she mutters in a low voice while staring at her partner.

Queen B stands tall with a smirk planted on her face, her pose regal. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng."

Something about the way she calls her name feels familiar, an itching at the back of her mind that Marinette can't exactly put her finger on.

"You're the new superheroine," Marinette greets, hoping her voice sounds awed. "I can't believe you're actually here."

Queen B absolutely _preens_ as Marinette speaks, the familiarity in her pose edging it's way into Marinette's mind. "But of course. Who wouldn't be excited to see me?"

Marinette has to bite back a giggle at her words, refusing to show how entertained she is by the current direction of the exchange. It was nice to see that Queen B at least knew when to turn off her switch and actually focus.

"I fear I'll faint at the mere excitement," she tacks on, doubling her efforts to hide back her grin as Queen B seemed to glow. "After all, I'm sure I'm the first one to be visited by you."

"What if I was to say you are?"

"Well, I'd be very very delighted."

Marinette hopes she isn't overdoing her excitement, but from the way Queen B's eyes bore into her through her mask, it doesn't seem like it.

Queen B continues to stare at her for a minute, something charged about her gaze before she finally speaks. When she finally does, her voice is a lot softer.

"If I was to do something stupid right now, would you let me?"

She seems to fold in on herself, her shoulders curled downward and head tilted towards the ground. Marinette finds her heart stuttering at the sight.

"Only if you let me do something stupid in returns," she responds, savoring the way Queen B's head shoots up to stare in surprise.

The surprise wears off slowly as the heroine slowly gains her confidence back, her smirk returning as she walks towards Marinette.

Her heart stutters as the Queen B's shadow falls directly over her, her hands resting on the armrest. The sun sets behind Queen B, making it look like her body was nothing more than a silhouette outlined by ethereal light.

It's exactly this thought running through her head that makes Marinette turn her head when Queen B leans down to press a kiss against her cheek.

Queen B freezes as soon as Marinette's lips press against her, causing Marinette to panic. They stay locked in that position for close to a minute, trying their hardest to not breathe.

And then Queen B sighs into Marinette and leans in, tilting her head for better access. Her hands move towards Marinette's head, cupping her jaw into her palms. Marinette finds herself edging forward in her chair, just a little bit, until she's close enough to nudge Queen B closer. In turn, Queen B plops herself into Marinette's lap.

They separate when the sky's completely dark, chests heaving in an attempt to catch their breaths. Queen B's sky blue eyes bored into Marinette with adoration that warms her to the core. They're nothing like Chloe's: sharp, icy, and intense enough only to strike the receiver with anger.

"Is it alright with you if I come back tomorrow?" Queen B asks after they've spent too long just drinking the sight of each other in. Marinette's shoulders slump.

"You can't." As soon as Queen B's smile begins to drop, Marinette hastens to elaborate. "I mean, you _can_ but I won't be here because I have prior engagements."

"I see," Queen B replies, scrambling to get up. Marinette's hands immediately grip her waist to immobilize her.

"I have to hang out with the mayor's daughter," she blurts out. When Queen B blinks in surprise, she adds, "It's for a project but knowing the way we interact, it'll last a long time. You can still come by a little later if you'd like."

Queen B's smirk grows as she stares at Marinette, confusing the hell out of her. "Maybe I will."

She parts with a kiss pressed to Marinette's cheek, ignoring the way she looked at her in confusion. "Tomorrow, then!"

Once the superheroine disappears from sight, Marinette finds Tikki staring up at her with a wide smile.

"She wasted all my hot chocolate, Tikki," she complains to her kwami, ignoring the way she savored the taste of pumpkin spice chap-stick on her lips.


End file.
